Wheel flange oiler



Patented Jan. 5f, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT orricE PERRY H. HAMILTON, 0F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO CE EQUIP- MENT COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILI4IN0I S WHEEL FLANGE orLEn.

Application mea March 17, 192s. serial No. 262,452.

This invention relates to a wheel flange oilthe rail at which the wheel flange travels.`

A pump mechanism mounted in the reservoir comprises a plunger positioned to be depressed by the wheel flange, thereby projecting oil through a discharge passage leading to a point adjacent the rail head from which the oil is thrown ontol the wheel flange. Means is provided for elevating the plunger after the wheel flange has passed by, whereby a new quantity of oil flows or is drawn from the reservoir into the pump cylinder.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a wheelv iange oiler operating as briefly described hereinabove, and as described in more` detail in the. specication which follows.

Another object is to provide means whereby oil is sucked into the pump cylinder as the plunger is elevated.

Another object is to provide means for preventing the pump from losing its prime, even though the oil level within the reservoir may fall below the inlet port leading to the pum Another object is to provide means for sealing the reservoir and operating mecha-- msm as faras possible against the entry of foreign substances. `v

Another object is to provide means for mounting the mechanism against the side of l the rail.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section, taken substantially on the line /1--4 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, the improved wheel Bange oiler comprises an elongated receptacle closed at its bottom -1, its rear wall 2, front wall 3, and end walls 4. The rear wall 2 is adapted to be secured to a supporting plate 5 by any suitable means, such as bolts 6. The supporting plate 5 is shaped at its top and bottom edges to fit between the head 7 and baseifl'an'ge 8 at one sideof the rail, and the ends 9 of the plate extend beyond the ends of the receptacle so that the assembly may conveniently be secured to the web l0 of therail by. means of screw' bolts 11 passed through the web, or any equivalent attaching means. The receptacle serves as a reservoir to house the oil supply.

Mounted against the bottom 1. and rear wall 2 of the receptacle is a block 12 having a vertical rear ange or plate 13, by which the block may be mounted against the rear wall 2vby means of screws 14. A pump cylinder 15 is formed vertically within block 12,y this cylinder being closed at its lower end and open at its upper end. An oil discharge passage 16 in the block is conveniently formed by making a vertically extending groove or slot inthe rear wall 13 of the block, the open side of this groove being closed by the rear wall 2 of the receptacle when the parts are assembled. The lower end of discharge passage 16 is connected with the lower portion of cylinder 15 by a laterally 'extending passage 17 in which is housed a ball valve 18, normally held against the converging inlet end of passage 17 by the spring 19. This oneway valve serves .to permit oil to be discharged from cylinder 15 into the passage 16, but prevents oil from being drawn back from passage 16 into the cylinder. A pair of horizontally positioned arcuate 'ports 2O are formed in the sidewalls of the cylinder block at an intermediate height. These ports are of small vertical height, but have as great an arcuate length vas the structure Will ermit to provide for the free passage o oil from the reservoir into the cylinder. A bushing 21 is fitted securely within the cylinder 15, the bushing being formed with arcuate cated in dotted lines at 25. A compression spring 26 housed at its u per end within an annular recess 27 in hea '24., and en aging the cylinder block at its lower end, is a apted to normally hold the plunger in 1ts elevated position, the upward movement of the plunger being limited by the engagement of an out? wardly projecting flange 28 on head 24 with the under-surface of the cover plate 29 of the receptacle or reservoir. Cover plate 29 is formed with an opening 30 for receiving the head 24, and an annular packi-ng ring 31 of felt or other suitable material is mounted in a groove in plate 29 to sealthe opening 30 and prevent the entrance of foreign substances without interfering with the vertical movement of the plunger. The rear portion of cover plate 29 is also formed with a vertical discharge passage 32 which forms an extension of discharge passage 16 in the cylinder block. The cover plate 29 is removably secured in any suitable ymanner to the upper face of the receptacle, for example, by the screws 33. A suitable filling opening for replenishing the oil supply ma be provided in plate 29, this opening being ere shown as closed by a screw plug 34.

An arcuate hood 35 rojects outwardly from the upper portion o cylinder block 12, above the ports 22, and terminates at its lower end adjacent the bottom wall 1 of the receptacle so as to leave an open oil passage 36 between the lower edge of the hood and the bottom of the reservoir. Passage 36 should be of sufiicient height to ermit the free-and unimpeded flow of oil rom the reservoir into the suction chamber 37 formed beneath hood 35. v

In operation, the reservoir will beY filled with oil to some convenient height, as indicated at a: in Fig. 2, and the c llnder 15 beneath plunger 23 and also the ischarge assage 16 will be filled withroil. As a w eel passes above this apparatus, the wheel flan e V25 will depress the head 24 forcing down t e plunger against the resistance of the spring 26. After the lower end of the plunger has closed the ports 22, further downward movement of the plunger will force oil from cylinder 15 past the one-way ball valve 18 into discharge passage 16, the oil being projected upwardly from this passage against the wheel flange 25 and the side of the rail head 7. After the wheel has passed, the spring 26 will elevate the lunger, thereby creating a suction in cylin er 15, which will immediately close the ball valve 18 so as to prevent the oil which remains in discharge passage 16 from being drawn back into .the cylinder.

As the lower end of plunger 23 uncovers the ports 22 and passes thereabove, the suction created in cylinder 15 will draw oil into the cylinder from the suction chamber 37 beneath the hood 35. If a sufficient head of oil were maintained within the receptacle, this hood 35 would be unnecessary, but when the oil level in the reservoir is not much higher suction chamber 37 around the ports 22 which will .be maintained full of oil by a siphon action so that the oil level in the reservoir ma become quitelow (as indicated at y), an the mechanism will still remain operative. i It will be apparent that this device will apply oil to only a small portion of the car Wheel flange, but this oil is distributed for a greater distance on the wheel flange by the rotating wheel and by wiping against the .side of the rail head 7. By using several of these oiling devices in series, spaced at suitable intervals lalong the rail, the entire circumference of the car wheel flange may be uickly oiled. Ordinarily two or more of t ese pumping devices will be mounted within the same receptacle or reservoir, but for convenience of illustration, I have shown but one of these devices in Figs. 1 and 2. It

will be apparentlthat two or more of these mechanisms could be mounted within the same receptacle by merely duplicating the c linder blocks 12 and cooperating features, t e blocks being secured at spaced intervals to the rear wall 2 of the receptacle.

. I claim:

1. A wheel flange oiler comprising a reserl.`

voir for holding oil ada ted to be mounted adjacent the rail, a cylin er block positioned in the reservoir, against the rear wall and bottom thereof, a plunger in the cylinder posi tioned to be depressed by the wheel flange, means for returning the plun er to its elevated position, a port in the cylinder wall for receiving oil from the reservoir, vsaid port being closed by the plunger when it is depressed,.a dischar e passage formed' in the cylinder block an leading from the lower lportion of the cylinder along the rear surace of the block to a point adjacent the railhead, and a one-way valve between the cylinder and discharge passa e.

2. A wheel flange oi er comprising a receptacle, means for mounting the receptacle with its rear wall at the side of the rail, a cylinder block positioned in the receptacle against the rear wall and bottom thereof, said block being formed with a vertical cylinder opening through the top of the block and a discharge passage leading from the lower end of the cylinder up along the rear wall of the receptacle, a one-way valve between the cylinder and discharge passage, a port in the side wall of the block connecting the cylinder with the interior of the reservoir, a hood projecting from the block above the port and terminating at is lower edge somewhat above the bottom of the reservoir, a plunger vertically movable in the cylinder and having an upper head positioned to be depressed by the wheel flange, a spring between the head and block for elevating the plunger, a cover plate for the receptacle formed with an opening for the plunger head, and with a passage formin a continuation of the discharge passage, and a sealing ring mounted in the plate and surrounding the plunger head.

3. A wheel flange oiler comprising a reservoir adapted to be mounted adjacent the rail, a cylinder positioned in the reservoir, a plunger in the cylinder formed with an en larged head at its upper` end lpositioned' to y 3o' be depressed by a wheel flange, the head having a depending cylindrical skirt portion, there being a port in the cylinder for receiving oil from the reservoir and a discharge passage leading to a point adjacent the yrail head,

-a cover plate for the .reservoir formed with a cylindrical opening through which the plunger head is guided, a4 roject-ion on the skirt engaging the undersi e of the cover to limit the upward movement of the plunger,

40 and a spring surrounding the plunger and confined between the head and cylinder for -elevating the plunger.

4. A wheel flange oiler comprising a reservoir adapted to be mounted adjacent the rail, a cylinder positioned'in the reservoir, a

plunger in the cylinder formed with an en' larged head at its upper end positioned to be Y depressed by a wheel flange, a cover plate for ythe reservoir formedwith a cylindrical 5o opening through which the head is guided, a projection on the lower portion of the head for engaging the underside of the cover to limit the upward movement of the plunger, and a spring surrounding the plunger and confined between the head and cylinder for elevating the plunger, there being a port in the cylinder for receiving oil from the reservoir and a discharge passage leading to a point adjacent the rail head. v i

PERRY H. HAMILTON. 

